Our recent post, Vintage furniture — 10 of our favorite midcentury designs and brands inspired Pam to contact Furniture Brands — the folks who produce some of our favorite longtime furniture brand names, including Broyhill, Lane, Drexel Heritage — to see if they had any archived catalogs to share with us vintage furniture loving folks. Sure enough, Lisa Hanly, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Relations, was super receptive and was kind enough to dig through the archives for us. Her first find: These great catalog pages showcasing Broyhill Brasilia and Sculptra furniture. It’s great to see more of these beautiful designs in their native midcentury catalog habitats.
Broyhill Brasilia
Look at this giant master bedroom filled to the brim with Broyhill Brasilia pieces — including a king size headboard. It’s interesting to see how well the bold colors — in this case, red — coordinate with the lines of this furniture design.
Above: The front page of this vintage catalog shows photos of the inspiration for the Brasilia line — the unusual and characteristic architecture found in the city of Brasilia itself in Brazil. Fun fact: Pam has been to Brasilia. In around 1987 — on a business trip to visit Ford operations in South America. She said, “I remember pretty clearly driving into the city. I knew this was a special place. But… I was way too young to truly appreciate it.”
The catalog pages showcase some interesting pieces from the Brasilia dining and living room furniture collection.
I have this buffet base — with the top hutch piece in my dining room! For sure, this is one of our Hall of Fame vintage furniture designs.
That’s a pretty cool dining set.
I had no idea the Brasilia collection had such an array of coffee and end tables.
The Broyhill Brasilia commode above is one of my favorites — I think it was originally meant to go in the living room, but I have two of them that I use as nightstands. I like the enclosed storage they provide.
Broyhill Sculptra
This Broyhill Sculptra bedroom set looks a little less extravagant than the Brasilia setup — oh how I’d love to get my hands on the long dresser and mirror for this set.
There are two variations of the Broyhill Sculptra triple dresser — I’m partial to the one above — with the paneled doors in the center.
This Broyhill Sculptra double dresser is smaller than the triple dresser — a size that may be very appealing to folks with smaller bedrooms.
I have a soft spot for the Broyhill Sculptra Magna dresser because it was the first retro dresser I scored on Craigslist — and let me tell ya — this guy really holds a lot.
There is a wide array of Broyhill Sculptra coffee and side tables to choose from.
This has to be a woddity — a Broyhill Sculptra cigarette table. I had no idea such a thing existed — a special table for cigarettes? Surely a sign of the times.
Mega thanks to Lisa for taking the time to look through the archives to unearth these catalog pages to share with our Retro Renovation Nation. 
Wow, what a treat! Thanks for digging this up!
I know these Broyhill pieces are bringing a pretty penny these days. Why won’t Broyhill and some of the other furniture makers re-introduce this stuff? They are really loosing out on what is becoming an excellent market.
Lynne,
It probably has to do with cost. I imagine these pieces would be pricey to produce today. The Brasilia line is walnut veneered over hardwood, and I believe may have curved plywood for the iconic design elements. Also, the brass components are extremely hazardous to produce as well. If they were to re-introduce these pieces, I imagine that purchasing a bedroom set would run in the thousands.
I don’t think that people would have a problem paying into the thousands for quality set of furniture; That is what somebody is going to pay for a set from Pottery Barn any way. (A friend of mine recently spent about $5,000 there for a bed, desk, dresser, and night stand.)
I’m completely in agreement with you; I’d pay good money for authentic reproductions of these pieces. That said, not everyone would be as eager. Perhaps the solution would be to also market them through furniture companies like Design Within Reach, which markets new Knoll and Herman Miller pieces. We’re an enthusiastic bunch here, but Retro sadly isn’t as popular as I would like; we consistently are asked when we are going to update our home and purchase new furniture.
I have the entire set of Broyhill in the Sculptra. I can send pictures. I have the complete dining room set and master bedroom set. They are atleast 48 years old. I would consider a offer. The dinning room table has three leaves, six chairs. The table and chairs need some refinishing. The master set includes king bed, two entables, a ladies 6 drawer and mirror and a oxigone table which may need some attention too. I am actively using them all, but I am possibly intrested in selling to someone who will cherish.
Faith, all buying/selling needs to go onto the Forum — http://retrorenovation.com/forums/
Broyhill Premire
I’m not sure Lynne…If they did start making them again, I wonder if they would make them exact reproductions or slightly tweak the designs…and I wonder what they would cost new these days…
I love this! Wish I could find a vintage catalog on the Broyhill Premier collection, especially upholstered pieces. But I love this!
Jan- I know that there weren’t any upholstered pieces for the Brasilia Collection, there is a product sheet posted online w/ all of the products from one year w/ model numbers, measurements, etc. and there aren’t any sofas or upholstered chairs on that sheet.
There is a Broyhill Sculptra bedroom set for sale on my local CL for $500. 5′ long dresser with mirror, magna dresser/chest, 2 End tables and Queen size bed. Not an amazing deal, but not a bad price. Bedframe has both headboard and footboard- which you don’t find often.
If we had the room or the cash I would snatch it up, but I have already gone overboard w/ Brasilia, so I should probably ignore the listing for the sake of my marriage!
I am always looking for the Brasilia lingerie chest though!
That sounds like a decent deal Carolyn — I have the same problem as you though. I’ve gone a bit nuts over the Brasilia (have a complete bedroom set and a china cabinet) and I while I would LOVE a Sculptra set for the guest bedroom, it probably wouldn’t fly with my husband at the moment. Hey, we can always dream, right?
I started w/ the dining room, probably about 4 yrs ago? Got a buffet and then the table w/ 4 chairs, then I got a china cabinet in not-great shape for $25, and then I started playing musical chairs. Ordered 6 off e-bay, bought a dining room set that I thought was Brasilia, but was not, but I had driven 1.5 hours to get it, so I couldn’t back out. Found a bedroom set w/ queen size headboard, triple dresser w/ mirror, gentleman’s chest and 5-drawer chest but no nightstands and got that. Started playing musical chairs and drove 4 hours for another table. Gave up CL for Lent and found myself at an estate auction 7.5 months pregnant where we got the long sought after nightstands, plus a double dresser w/ mirror and another 5 drawer chest. Monday after Easter I check my local CL, table, 6 chairs and an asymmetrical china cabinet w/ interior lights were advertised was there.
It’s truly an obsession. I will find that lingerie chest one day! I will!
How funny to “give up” Craigslist for Lent! It is an addictive game. I tend to find things for friends and family all over the country!
I saw this too– not needing the set, but very nice. Can’t see the conditiion of the tops. I think the tops are veneer, so it might be hard to refinish if there are some bad spots. I wrote to owner, but did not hear back today.
Wow, Carolyn, not sure where you are, but $500 for that bedroom set in the Bay Area of California would qualify as an almost screaming deal
It was in Baltimore/Annapolis area. Might be sold now.
Here too! It was in primo, showroom new-condition, but locally a Sculptra desk alone sold for $450.00 a few months back. I wanted it quite badly, but the length of it wouldn’t have permitted it to make the tight U- turn required to bring it into my den.
I want that bedroom set!!!
Are you in the Baltimore/DC area? I just posted it in one of the forums.
Also there is a Brasilia china cabinet for $150 for sale on my CL as well.
[link gone]
So pretty, and so close to Columbia, MD. But I do not “need” this! It is tempting….
There is a lot of good stuff on the Bmore CL all of a sudden! Lynda, I am near Annapolis, but will drive an hour each way easily… Have driven much farther many times!
Also could you use just the bottom? The bottom piece makes a nice stand for a flat screen TV. I am an enabler!
I was able to get a Brasilia bedroom set off craigslist a few weeks ago. 6 drawer low dresser, tall dresser, 2 commodes, and king size headboard. One commode is in terrible shape, everything else is good to very good condition. I love this set. When I first saw the Brasilia line I thought it was a little too busy, but the more I saw of it the more I liked it. When i saw it on CL I was ready to jump. Now that it’s in my house I don’t think I can part with it.
What are my best restoration options? I got Howards Feed’n'wax to use on everything. I am thinking about using the walnut restore’a'finish on the commodes (and maybe other pieces if it comes out well), but one commode needs a complete strip down on the top already anyway. Has anyone tried to match a new finish to the original?
I have used the Restore-a-finish and feed’n'was on several Brasilia pieces. It can really bring the pieces back to life, but it’s not a permanent fix- as in you have to keep going back and reapplying every 6 months to a year I guess?
There is a couple, they used to be based in Northern Va, but now I think they have retired to Florida, and they run brasiliaconnection.com, selling on ebay, etc. I believe that they have completely restored/refinished pieces, including replacing ruined veneer, etc. It can be done. It’s not something I could undertake, as I have 2 young children constantly underfoot and no basement or garage to serve as workspace, but maybe someone else could.
We have 2 of the non-commode nightstands and they are obviously victims of a DIYer who attempted to stain them cherry? I would love to have them refinished, but I don’t currently have the budget to put them into the hands of a professional.
Carolyn,
The Brasilia Connection people are still in business; we bought our dining room set from them. They are awesome to deal with too; they are so congenial.
Brasilia is fantastic furniture! It’s really built well.
I too am very interested in refinishing…I have a Brasilia rounded square dining table that one of my lovely kitty cats threw up on. Needless to say the top should be sanded down a bit and refinished. Because of the top being veneer…I’m terrified to sand at all. Has anyone done this??? Advice?
I work with Broyhill now. I’ve been in the home furnishings business for 44 years.
Take .0000 steel wool and a very creamy furniture polish; rub the steel wool wet with the polish, following the grain of the veneer. Take it down to the point where the stains are gone, and refinish. This process is better than sanding, and removing too much veneer.
Thanks Mike! I will give that a whirl!
Hi, Max. I just recently found a Brasilia bedroom set at a thrift shop. They were in pretty good shape except the tops. I completely stripped them, sanded ,stained and finished with satin Tung oil. They are an absolute perfect match and it was relatively easy. I custom mixed the stain. If you’d like I could send pics if you tell me where to send them. Good luck.
I have the dining room set in the first photo. I have seen it called Emphasis too. Does anyone know exactly which collection it belonged to? I am looking for a sideboard/buffet and have seen it called lots of things!
Broyhill borrowed some designs from collection to collection. The Emphasis dining chairs, for example, are near identical to ones found in the Sculptra lines. I have both original catalogs showing the chairs in both collections. There are only very slight differences in the design. I’m talking, near microscopic changes. Same is true for other producers of the period. They will keep the same designs in another collection, just by making very finite changes. Car manufacturers do the same thing, ie. Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. One of the coolest pieces from the Sculptra credenza was not shown on this post. It’s a two-piece narrow hutch. Most interesting is that the sculpted embellishment differs from the rest of the Sculptra pieces. This unique Sculptra pattern was featured only on this cabinet… and later production years there was a long credenza with the same pattern. http://furnishmevintage.com/livingroom/vintage-broyhill-sculptra-bookcase-secretary-hutch/
Picked up the Brasilia dining table, six chairs (simple back style) buffet and china cabinet this summer for a steal! Would love to see how others decorate around these pieces – I’m not a mid-century purist and mixing it with other pieces feels like a challenge to me. Currently using the china cabinet in the office doubling as a bookshelf. Am I betraying the line?
Can I please trade in my current Broyhill Fontana bedroom set for the Broyhill Sculptura set? Please, pretty please?
And…maybe at some point in the future someone will comb Craigslist looking for Broyhill Fontana??!!
LOL, we have in our guest room DH’s old suite which is Broyhill Fontana. We could sure use a chest of drawers, and, yes, I do look on CL for one. We stayed at a ski lodge and the room was outfitted in Fontana, LOL.
Sorry, I only have the bed, nightstand and armoir. Some day I’ll get around to selling them.
Pam, thanks for posting the pictures. Great to see the originals in vintage settings. While I agree there is no substitute for the originals, for those looking for something new yet similar, you might check out Mitchel Gold and Bob Williams. They have released some case pieces which echo the Brazila credenzas and tables. A little pricier than finding the originals on Craig’s list however…
These original catalog pages are very interesting. The bold red, purple and orange used in decorating are thought provoking as well. I kept thinking my mom’s bedroom set was something from Broyhill because it looked so similar. Then after a careful investigation, I realized it was a shirt tail relative.
. All of it is so pretty and so classic. Here are some pictures of a Lenoir bedroom set. http://www.midcenturymodernremodel.com/2012/07/lenoir-house-bedroom-furniture-division.html
That’s very cool Rebecca! I love the pulls on your bedroom set. I think you are right — they must be related.
In the Broyhill Brasilia they show two twins put together. My parents had two twins put together like that under a long headboard.
Broyhill Brasilia — my very first auction experience! About 6 years ago, my husband and I (newlyweds) attended an auction together. It was the first time I had ever been to an auction, and as we previewed the goods, I saw a Broyhill Brasilia dining set (6 chairs, rectangular table with a leaf, and buffet with glass doored lighted display case top). I pointed it out to my hubby as an example of the midcentury style I loved so much. He, too, really liked it. I said to him “I’m sure this will be sold as a set and will go for over $800. Sigh. We don’t have that much room or that much money.” I had absolutely no intention of bidding.
The auctioneer started the bidding around $50 (for the set!), and it became clear that the attendees were not midcentury fans as the bids CREPT up to $130. Nothing was happening. I was baffled, my heart was racing, I looked at my husband, and he gave me the “go for it” smile. It was just me vs. one other guy (who turned out to be an antiques dealer with a heart). The bidding ended at $165, and we went home feeling quite high from the experience!
It was ours. The whole set. For only $165.
My husband still loves telling that story. He tells how he observed the antiques dealer watching me during the bidding. He says he knows that the dealer “let me have it” because he could see how excited I was and how happy it made me.
What a great story Erin — I think that is also part of the joy of having vintage furniture. There is always a story — maybe you got it at an auction, maybe it was your grandmothers, etc. Vintage furniture is not only full of personality, but also full of stories.
What a deal! Sounds like a good deal on the husband too.
I love this story!
I picked up my Scluptra sideboard (shown in the article’s first photo, with a giant hutch on top) at the thrift about a year ago, for just $15. It was a little scratched on top, but Restore-a-Finish was the perfect product to easily make it lovely again. It fits in our mid-century-inspired living room perfectly, and has wound up being the perfect storage for art supplies
wow what a deal Christa!
I want to live in that house….
I have the Dining Room Table and Buffet. It is so heavy!
I love the Brasilia line and all the other Premere series that Broyhill put out on the 60′s. I’ve had a hard time selling full chinas and have no problem selling the bases, so I’ve devised a solution. I took one of the china tops and converted to a really nice curio with some 14″ legs refinished to match and it looks great and has had loads of attention. A real one of a kind display piece!
There is a third collection that rounds out the triumvirate of Broyhill’s Mid Century Modern years….. drum rollllllllll…. Broyhill Saga. One of my personal favorites. Pieces from the suite are adorned with oh so atomic stars on the facades. Sleek, simple profile and dark chocolate colored walnut wood. Once you get a glimpse of this, you will fall in love. http://furnishmevintage.com/?s=saga&x=0&y=0
No way! Thanks for sharing.
I just today purchased a Broyhill Premier bedroom set. The labeling did not say ‘Saga’ inside the drawer, but after looking at the link you sent from Furnish Me Vintage…it IS the set I purchased for $750 (including delivery!) The set features a full size bed (headboard, foot board, side rails), long dresser with mirror (the mirror also has the atomic star etched in it), nightstand, and tall chest. My deal wasn’t as good as the guy who bought a set at a thrift store for $185, but I think I got a good deal nonetheless. The Furnish Me Vintage price for each piece would have been a lot more, I am quite sure.
Earlier in the year, I found what was labeled as an “Emphasis” dining
set in an antique co-op in southern NH – tall hutch with glass doors, round table with one leaf, and 6 chairs – the chairs do look like those in the first catalog picture in color, at the top of this post. I love the set – it has some wear, particularly on the chairs, but the hutch is in excellent condition. Its scale and wonderful lines are perfect for my 1960′s ranch house.
Thanks for posting all this great Broyhill information, Pam, and also thanks to the posters for information on refreshing and refinishing!
i dont know why i surf anywhere else before Retro Reno!! duh!! i just scored a Broyhill Sculptra coffee table (the one in the very top catalog picture!!!) and matching end/side table on Craigslist. $65 for the set!!! i had no idea what they were, just liked them and needed those pieces for my living room rehaul
boy am i surprised and super stoked to find out what i found! love love love Retro Reno!!! you rock!!!
[now if anyone has any further info on the particular coffee table, i would very much appreciate it...value? whatnot] all i was told was it was called a surfboard table…and then i found the Broyhill Sculptra stamp on the underneath of the piece. that is it.
thanks!!!!
Been doing my research today because I just scored a 5 piece Sculptra bedroom set wtih dresser/mirror, chest of drawers, night stand and full size bed for….. $185! Wandered into a thrift store about 40 minutes from home and there it was! Just arrived. How lucky can a guy be? Hehehe.
Has anyone ever heard of the Broyhill Invitation Classic line of furniture?
It was first advertised in 1957. It doesn’t seem to be as popular as some other lines but it is mid century in a light cherry. Would appreciate any input.
There used to be a fella in Northern Virginia that dealt in this furniture. We saw a craigslist ad offering The Brasilia dining room furniture for not too terrible a price. Ended up with a dining room table with three leaves, ten chairs, two buffet bases (one in the entry hall and the other with a matching hutch top), and a server with the original flying bird blue tiles intact. Absolutely beautiful furniture!
I love the thin legs on the furniture – today, furniture is all so oversized.
I have the Sculptra Broyhill China Cabinet that I am trying to find out how much its worth. I looked at all of the above pics but did not find the piece I have. It looks very similar to the Brasilla line but the Sculptra design.
I have a dining table and chairs set by Drexel. It’s oval with 2 drop sides and I think there are 3 leaves or so. It has 4 chairs. Bottom of table is stamped: BY DREXEL 2/60 BASQUE PROVINCIAL so I know they were made February 1960, but nowhere in my extensive internet searching can I find anything about the “Basque Provincial” style/line of their furniture. If someone is willing to help me out I can get you some photos of the set also.
Wow, how did I miss this! Awesome catalog!
I have my bedroom fitted out with Broyhill Emphasis pieces and would give my eye teeth to find a catalog for those. So far as close as I’ve come is a vague reference in the 1968 “Anvil of Adversity: Biography of a Furniture Pioneer, James Edgar Broyhill” book by William Stevens which mentions Brasilia and Emphasis as being two of the company’s top sellers at that time. By the way if anyone is interested, alot of this book is dry reading but there are some fun parts diehard Broyhill fans will appreciate along with a few pictures. And the book can be had for literally peanuts.
Can anyone tell me what that stunning red/blue/yellow/red thingy is on the wall near the top right hand corner of the lead photo? Whatever it is, I love it and I want one!
Just scored a Sculptra dining set off Craigslist for $150! Table, five side chairs, 1 captain’s (and they’re the lovely, spindly ones with the eye shaped back rest), plus the buffet/hutch! Picking them up tomorrow!! So stoked! One day I’ll work my way up to Brasilia…or maybe find some on the cheap on CL!
Wow, lucky score! Hey, Sculptra just as lovely as Brasilia — just different!
I agree wholeheartedly, Brasilia is stunning, but the Sculptra and Emphasis lines are every bit as beautiful, at least to me.
I’ll have to admit that, after living with this Sculptra for a few days, I’m in sooooo much love it hurts! LOL! The cat’s eye drawer pulls and back rests on the chairs are pulling me in! Brasilia who?
When we have purchased Brasilia in the past, we have dealt with these people – http://www.brasiliaconnection.com/index.html (apologies if this has been posted previously)
They are (or were the last time I visited them) located in Northern Virginia. Very lovely couple that have been collecting these pieces for many years. Quite fair prices and always friendly, in our experience.
Definitely worth a visit
whoopsie – apparently they have relocated to Florida. My apologies
I just purchased a Sculptra dining set – 2 arm chairs, four chairs and a table with three leaves. While I didn’t get it for the steals I see here, I thi k it’s worth it since a new table (a good maker) would have been double, I think. The seller recommended Feed n Wax. Can’t wait to give the beautiful wood a drink. I’m in love!